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October 1, 2010

What's in a name? Diversey may name Y after itself

Today, it's the Racine Family YMCA. Or maybe just the Racine Family Y, since the organization recently opted for naming brevity, dropping those three final letters that stood in for Men's Christian Association since 1844 -- although the local organization's website still says Welcome to the Racine Family YMCA. The Y, of course, stands for Young.

But what will the Y be called in the future? The question popped up at the news conference Thursday at which the Y announced a $6 million donation from Diversey Inc. to build a new $12 million recreation and childcare Y facility west of downtown, alongside the Mount Pleasant Village Hall complex and just a stone's throw from Diversey's corporate headquarters on Highway 20.

A large sign, visible to all who attended the news conference, stood in the field where the new Y will be constructed. It proclaimed: Future Home of the Diversey Family YMCA.

Jeff Collen, right, chief executive of the Y, confirmed today that Diversey, thanks to its $6 million pledge (and another $500,000 from the Johnson family and the private equity company that co-owns Diversey) retains "naming rights" to the new Y. "Nothing's been decided yet," Collen said. "We haven't decided on a name; we just threw something up for the banner."

What would you name the new Y?

Put your suggestions in the comments

As it turns out, the name may be the most visible aspect of SC Johnson involvement in the new Y, but certainly not the most significant. SCJ is helping the Y's fundraising campaign to raise the additional $5.5 million needed. And the company, well known for its many "green" initiatives, is providing its expertise -- and money -- to make sure the new Y is constructed "in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards."

Collen said that Scott Weas, a former senior property director for SCJ (he was project director for the Prairie School, among many other projects), is the Y's project director, but SCJ is paying his salary. "He's helping to lead us through this project, to keep us on track," said Collen. SCJ expertise, he said, will be instrumental "as we work with the architects and to make sure we get great pricing on materials, flooring, and so on."

SCJ involvement is most welcome to Y officials, whose strategic plan has long involved opening one or more facilities west into Racine County -- where the population is growing, unlike the city of Racine itself. Collen described "that first phone call" he received from SCJ in mid-March. "We started by talking about the possibility of this kind of thing happening. For us, it was really great how it fit into our strategic plan. And the timing!"

Y officials were also pleased with this intangible: "Here's a very major company with this amount of trust in us, knowing that the Y can do this, provide what they want and what the community wants."

Although Y officials had long wanted to expand, "there was absolutely no way we thought we could go out there and start something like this in this economy. We were 'on hold.' How could we raise $12 million without this kind of interest and commitment in the community?"

Why, exactly, does the Y need to expand to the west? Because that's where the people are. And because, even when we think about exercising and fitness, we're lazy. We demand convenience. Collen cites Walgreens as an example. "You would think they're every two miles; it's a huge convenience factor."

That's one of the things that has affected the Y over the last five years or so, as franchise fitness centers have spread: now there's someplace someone can go to exercise that's four or five minutes from home. "I guess what we're doing is making sure that the good opportunities that we can provide are starting to come to where people are, rather than trying to get them to drive downtown," Collen said.The Y's studies show that the vast majority of its current membership lives east of Highway 31 -- even as the county's population base has shifted west... the most growth is west of I-94 even.

Besides its up-front donation, fundraising help and construction expertise, SCJ and Diversey are also offering the Y long-term financial support, by providing paid memberships to Diversey's 700 employees. If all take advantage of the perk, the ongoing sum is substantial. A family membership in the Y costs about $57.50 a month; the cost of 700 of them would top $450,000 a year.

Construction on the new Y is due to begin in Spring 2011; its opening date must be by Sept. 1, 2012, to accommodate Diversey's final separation from SC Johnson, and the end of its employees being able to use the JMBA recreation and childcare facility.

58 comments:

YMCA: Yucky Moolah Cadgers' Amenities. Seriously, Diversy/Perversy's little PR stunt is typical Waxclan posturing and posing. The day that the Waxies start paying property taxes on their Frank Llloyd Wright structures and their seaplane shrine is the day I'll believe in John-Swine philanthropy. Until then, the ceraceous scam-ily's "humanitarianism" must reside in La-La Land along with the Easter Bunny.

Why don't you haters lay off, and appreciate a truly generous gesture? The fact that it "works" for both SCJ AND the Y is irrelevant. Diversey easily could have spent its $6 million someplace that benefited its employees only -- but instead the company is working to give everyone a benefit from their need.

Dear Al, Nobody's carrying a grudge against you. However, the oppressed people of "Waxilla" aren't too fond of a certain oligarchic clan whose moolah-monarchs play God with less-fortunate folks' lives. Friends and neighbors, we exist in a money-ocracy, not a meritocracy. The wacky (and sometimes wicked) Waxies have what they have because somebody croaked and left them a bundle which our government foolishly allowed them to retain. When millions of our fellow-Americans lack the necessities and possess zero hope of landing a job which yields them a decent income, the existence of billion-dollar fortunes in private sector predators' prehensile paws is an obscenity. Had our sad land switched to socialism right after the Crash of '29, the current depression as well as our oppression by corporate porkers would have been averted. As conditions are, we shall have to dismantle capitalism, divest the Waxclass of its filthy fortunes and build socialism. Then America truly will be "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Because SCJ likes to masquerade as a philanthropic entity and cadge tax deductions, it indulges in apparently good deeds. On the surface, the SCJ/Diversy donation seems beneficial to the community. However, the Waxclan and its Ivy League lackeys are actually funding an amenity for their largely-upper-middle class retainers while pretending to help the non-SCJ/Diversy population. (I wouldn't want to be a minority person or a pauper in cheap. non-designer duds applying for membership at the YSCJ. For that matter, I wouldn't even wish to be a low-income parent attending a function held at the Johnson Rondelle. One reason that the recent RUSD "State of the District Address" drew only forty listeners was the fact that it was delivered at the Rondelle, a place where the poor feel extremely unwelcome.)

The YSCJ is in the same league with the rest of the Waxclan's "philanthropy"--nice on the surface but rotten to the core. Anyone who doubts this should examine our moribund down-er town (aka "Lakeside Business District") All the coy little banners, flower baskets, pretty planters and clever community art projects can't banish the "For Sale," "For Lease" and "For Rent" signs. The above signs of severe blight as well as the attempts to conceal the calamity from undiscerning eyes are the results of Waxclan "philanthropy" inflicted on Racine by ceraceously-funded and controlled front organizations.

No, the people of Racine don't need the YSCJ. If Dr. Risk, Mr. Hurt-Us and Ms. Yellin' wish to help the rank-and-file residents of our badnews Rustbelt burg, they should stop dodging their property taxes and start doing good oldfashioned charity work in the inner city.

I knew this was coming! SCJ and the rest of the Johnson posse never do anything purely for the good of the community - they always want something in return. Now they have their name slapped on the front of the Y building. I wouldn't give a dime ot this place or even go there. It will just be full of Johnson snobs.

YSCJ: Yuppies Serving Ceraceous Jerks. Inasmuch as solvent lily-white suburbanites employed by the Waxclan will take it over and run it as per their masters' commands, the above name is an appropriate designation.

Sam would roll over in his grave. One son gives $250K to fund a stupid fountain and the other gives $6M to build a place like this while they have the JMBA Center. On top of that all this money being given out as the layoffs at both companies continue. Unreal.

Dear 11:43 AM, Amen! Two years ago, a busdriver took some of his pals over to the Rondelle (aka Round Hell) to see a movie. Although the busdriver and his buddies had complied with all the rules and regulations, they were snubbed by the elitist staff. I can imagine what the atmosphere/ambience at the YSCJ will be like...

We can always trust the Johnsons to be John-Swines. The world class treasure tyrants won't reform until a common man's government strips them of their assets and locks their a---s in federal penitentiaries.

That was a different time, an era when most people were so downtrodden that they didn't question the class system. Also, unlike the Waxies, the Horlicks didn't turn Racine into their little fiefdom. Back then, there were other major local employers with enough clout to rein in the Horlicks. Today, we have an arrogant Waxclan whose members think that inherited wealth gives them the right to take over our community. What's worse, there's no competitive local employer whose power could counteract the Waxies' monetary might. Sad to say, the only institution sufficiently strong to smash The House of Wax is socialist, anti-capitalist BIG GOVERNMENT.

Besides, "gifts for a better Racine" can mean things most ordinary people neither like nor want in their community. Be honest--was there a crying need for an art museum jammed (until recently) with dead bugs? Did we really need a ridiculous fountain named for an astrobabe? Think about it--by and large, the rich saddle us with useless crap while avoiding property taxes and shunning unglamorous but necessary charity work.

Then there's the faith factor. Believe it or not, there are religions whose leaders don't want their flocks patronizing the YMCA. If my Dad hadn't been careful, his involvement with the YMCA could have cost him and his parents their membership in a Roman Catholic parish. The YMCA is good for WASPs but not necessarily a benefit to non-Protestants.

Yes, it's win-win, but only for the Johnsons, the Leipolds, the Boyds and their retainers. Anyone who isn't a member of their clan, class or clique will lose--as usual. Under capitalism, the common people can't wrest control of Racine from the Waxtribe. However, if America goes socialist, a workingman's government could crush The House of Wax along with the other dollar-sign dynasties.

Back during World War II, the wealthy paid up to 90% of their income to the federal government. Switch to socialism, put the feds in charge of the economy and bring back the 90% tax bracket for corporate crooks. Then billionaires and mega-millionaires would cease to oppress the common man.

Assuming the Waxies want to win a popularity contest, they can cancel their YSCJ and declare a moratorium on layoffs and foreclosures. While they're at it, they can also shut down their snob school and pay their property taxes to support RUSD.

Getting back to the YSCJ, it's an evil farce which won't bamboozle the local yokels into revering the Waxtrash. After a certain scam-ily abolished profit sharing and commenced laying off workers, its members showed their victims exactly what billionaire trust fund brats do and are.

OK, this raises a few questions. First off, this must have been in the works for a while. When did Mt Pleasant know and how did this impact the planning and funding of Village Hall. As anyone can see, this will by Diversey's Y. It's own Armstrong Park. Just how much access will you, local taxpayer nobody, have to the programs, childcare, classes and events when you have to compete against employees who's company made this all possible. If you dont think Diversey employees will have first crack at everything you are fooling yourself. If I was a Diversey employee getting cut, I would be livid. Millions for a benefit, but no funding for your jobs, I feel bad for you. Something is not quite right about this.

Dear Translator, You're so right that "something is not quite right about this." Because the Waxies like positive PR and hefty tax deductions, they'll blow fortunes on their Diversy/Perversy Y. On the other hand, they don't value their wage slaves (unless they're Ivy Leaguers who've been upgraded to salary serfs), so they'll chuck surplus employees to the economic wolf while yammering about "family values." (Since all a certain family values is the bottom line, we'll know exactly what they're doing and why they're doing it.)

Even if you disagree with some of their tactics, it would be interesting to see what the state of the greater Racine area would be without SCJ here. It the only major business who is looking to stay. Governments across the country are offering incentives to steal businesses away from Wisconsin (Mercury Marine, Harley Davidson) and you don't see SCJ in these type of negotiations.

That's because SCJ has wrecked this city, keeps local government in its back pocket and pretty much abuses its wage slaves at whim sans fear of retribution. Once we crush corporate capitalism and bring in a government-controlled economic system, the caprices of the Carnauba Court will count for nothing.

10/04/2010 1:05 PM stated that "once we bring in a government-controlled economic system, the carnuba court will count for nothing" do you really believe the brain dead people running our government could do anything but mess up the rest of our country like they do in Washington. Government control of free enterprise aka A DEATH WISH

Dear 5:58 PM, Government control works in most of Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In France, the people are so well protected from poverty that they can retire at sixty-two and live well on what their government gives them. By contrast, all our government does is start wars to make the rich even richer than they already are.

Meanwhile, we've got to find a way to rescue what's left of Racine from the plutocratic piranhas. (Not so long ago, a good little man with a big heart said that his family firm was "one of many players in this great town." How I wish that three of his offspring would remember and heed his wise words.)

Anonymous....obviously you are a bitter person that got fired from SCJ. I can tell almost all of the Anonymous posts are from one person! Knock it off. Get over it. No one wants to hear from you! SCJ has done a lot of good for this city.

Although I'm responsible for the 10/6/2010 12:19 AM post, I have never been employed by SCJ. What's more, I've never applied for a position at any SCJ-related firm. Regarding the other people whose comments upset you, I don't know their identities. Indeed, it is possible that a disgruntled ex-SCJ employee or two could have vented a wee bit of bitterness at an arrogant mega-corporation and its overbearing owners. Then, again, I know plenty of poor Racinians who've never held a Waxjob but nevertheless loathe the Carnauba Court. (In this town, folks don't have to be SCJ wage slaves to hate the John-Swines. Too much monetary muscle and excessive influence in city affairs have rendered The House of Wax odious to our disadvantaged residents.